DoDEA Announces 2008 SAT Results

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA — September 10, 2008 — The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) has released the results of its scores on the 2008 SAT exams.

The DoDEA 2008 results reflect slight decreases over DoDEA's 2007 performance in the three areas assessed – critical reading, math, and writing. Nationally, the 2008 scores in the three areas assessed remained the same as 2007 scores. This year, DoDEA students' average score in critical reading was 509, down 3 points from 2007, but 7 points above the National average score. The 2007 average score for DoDEA students in math was 499, down 2 points from 2007 and 16 points below the National average score. DoDEA students scored 492 in writing for 2008, down 3 points from 2007 and 2 points below the National average score. DoDEA's African American and Hispanic Students scored significantly higher than their stateside counterparts across all three areas assessed.

As a result of the decreases in math and writing, DoDEA leaders are reviewing various near-term and long-term initiatives and support programs, especially in the area of math, and will determine the next steps for the organization to ensure steady academic progress in all areas for students throughout the system.

"We study all assessment results closely and are concerned about this year's scores, particularly in math," said DoDEA Director, Dr. Shirley A. Miles. " We will be analyzing the data to better inform and enable us to implement the right programs to improve our students' performance.

"DoDEA's focus is on continuous improvement in everything we do," Dr. Miles went on to say. "In the near term, we are going to examine the SAT Prep programs and approaches that our schools use. These programs help students familiarize themselves with the types of questions asked and the skills that will be assessed. We are also contemplating an increased emphasis on the PSAT and implementing training for our personnel on the use of PSAT results as a resource for successful preparation for the SAT."

Dr. Miles also discussed long-term initiatives to help students achieve and sustain improved performance on the SAT.

"We will use the Summary of Answers and Skills (SOAS) that is provided in the PSAT results to specifically identify student and class level performance areas that need emphasis and improvement," said Dr. Miles. This will help us conduct a thorough review of our curriculum and instruction practices. It will also allow us to make data-driven decisions to increase student achievement," she said.

Critical reading, math, and writing results for the DoDEA system, its areas (Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS) and Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS)) and the nation are reported in the table below:

As in the past several years, the DoDEA overall participation rate in the SAT exams remained substantially higher than the nation's participation rate. For 2008, DoDEA's SAT participation rate was 66% (1,982 students), reflecting a 1 percentage point increase over 2007. Nationally, the SAT participation rate was 45%, (1, 518,859 students), a 3 percentage point decline from 2007. Participation rates for DoDEA, DDESS, DoDDS and the nation are reported in the table below:

2004-2008 SAT Participation Rates
DoDEA, DDESS, DoDDS, and Nation

SAT Participation

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

DoDEA

65%

67%

65%

65%

66%

DDESS

45%

38%

43%

43%

37%

DoDDS

69%

72%

70%

70%

70%

Nation

48%

49%

48%

48%

45%

In DDESS, 151 students took the SAT exam; in DoDDS-Europe, 1,165 students took the test; and in DoDDS-Pacific 666 students took the SAT exam. Because ACT is the primary college entrance exam for Ft. Campbell and Ft. Knox students, the DDESS participation rate for the SAT is normally lower than the rate for DoDDS.

Performance of African-American Students

Although DoDEA's African-American students scored slightly lower in 2008 than in 2007 in the three areas assessed, they did score 32 points higher than their peers in the nation on the critical reading test; 20 points higher in math; and 23 points higher in writing in 2008.

2004-2008 SAT Results for African-American Students

African-American

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

DoDEA Critical Reading

470

456

458

463

462

Nation Critical Reading

430

433

434

433

430

DoDEA Math

452

448

445

448

446

Nation Math

427

431

429

429

426

DoDEA Writing

-

-

447

455

447

Nation Writing

-

-

428

425

424

Performance of Hispanic Students:

While the Nation's Hispanic students' mean scores declined from 2006 to 2008, DoDEA's Hispanic students raised their mean scores significantly in all subjects. DoDEA Hispanic students outperformed their stateside counterparts by 42 pointson the critical reading test, 15 points on the math test, and 30 points on the writing test.

2004-2008 SAT Results for Hispanic Students

Hispanic

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

DoDEA Critical Reading

474

479

487

471

497

Nation Critical Reading

456

458

456

458

455

DoDEA Math

464

473

476

469

476

Nation Math

460

465

463

463

461

DoDEA Writing

-

-

475

462

477

Nation Writing

-

-

451

450

447

The SAT Reasoning Test is a three-hour and 45 minute test that is a measure of the critical thinking skills related to successful performance in college. The 2008 SAT scores reflect the 2006 changes to the SAT which now includes three sections instead of two. The College Board changed the Critical Reading section by removing the section on analogies and by adding short reading passages to existing long reading passages. The Math section was changed by removing quantitative comparisons and by adding topics from third-year college preparatory math. The writing section was new in 2006. SAT scores range from 200 (lowest) to 800 (highest), with the 2008 national average score of 502 for the critical reading test, 515 for the math test and 494 for the writing test. The SAT Reasoning Test is intended to supplement the secondary school record and other information about the student, in assessing readiness for college-level work.

DoDEA plans, directs, coordinates, and manages the education programs for Department of Defense (DoD) dependents who would otherwise not have access to a high-quality public education. DoDEA consists of the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) located overseas, and the Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS) located in the United States and its territories and possessions. DoDEA provides education to eligible DoD military and civilian dependents from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

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